LVS Leasing is launching a new range of eco-friendly refrigerated vehicles in response to the forthcoming Low Emission Zone (LEZ) and congestion charge in London.
The move is aimed at wholesale caterers. Roger Cox of LVS has already received 50 orders from firms including Chef’s Connection and Cream of the Crop at New Covent Garden Market (NCGM) for the Ford vans, which have been converted to use liquefied petroleum gas, to exempt them from London’s new congestion charge.
The new vans, which LVS will lease out on up to a five-year contract, have a Euro 4 engine, which will also be exempt from charges once the LEZ comes into effect on February 4, 2008, within Greater London.
The LEZ will restrict free access to the area within the M25 to vehicles meeting certain emission standards. Those failing to meet the standards will be charged a staggering £200 a day to operate in the London area. Charges will come to those driving older, diesel engine lorries and large vans exceeding 1,205 tonnes of unladen weight. Many food distribution companies travelling across London will be affected, but Cox said the wholesale caterers are really showing interest.
“I have spent a lot of time at NCGM and I have had a lot of interest,” he said. “It makes sense to get a new eco-friendly van instead of paying London’s congestion charge. The congestion charge stands at £8 a day - if you used London’s roads most of the year, for 10 years, the price you pay in charges would amount to the price of a new van. And once the LEZ is introduced, it would be stupid to continue using old vehicles. Rather than buy a second-hand van, it is going to be much cheaper and environment-friendly to lease a van from LVS.”
Transport for London is advising operators of vehicles who do not meet the LEZ emission standards to either buy a newer vehicle that meets requirements; reorganise their fleet for journeys within the zone; modify their existing vehicles; or pay a daily charge.
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